ONC

HHS Office of National Coordinator Announces Reorganization

Kathie McDonald-McClure Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Privacy & Security , , , ,

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a Notice in the Federal Register, December 1, 2009, Volume 229, No. 74, that it has reorganized the HHS Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).  The stated purpose of the reorganization was “to more effectively meet the mission outlined by The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).”  The new structure establishes the following five offices that all report to the National Coordinator of the ONC:

  1. Office of Economic Modeling and Analysis;
  2. Office of the Chief Scientist;
  3. Office of the Deputy National Coordinator for Programs & Policy;
  4. Office of the Deputy National Coordinator for Operations; and
  5. Office of the Chief Privacy Officer.

The immediate “Office of the National Coordinator,” which also reports to the ONC National Coordinator, constitutes a sixth component.

Notably, implementing the Office of Chief Privacy Officer is a new role for the ONC.  The primary responsibilities of the Officer of Chief Privacy Officer are twofold: “(1) advising the National Coordinator on privacy, security, and data stewardship of electronic health information and (2) coordinating the [ONC’s] efforts with similar privacy officers in other Federal agencies, State and regional agencies, and foreign countries with regard to the privacy, security, and data stewardship of electronic, individually identifiable health information.” The Chief Privacy Officer will primarily advise the National Coordinator, but also may report to other individuals as necessary.

HHS launches new Health IT blog

Kathie McDonald-McClure Electronic Health Records, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Hospital EHR Stimulus, Meaningful Use, Physician EMR Stimulus, Privacy & Security, State HIT Grants & Loans , , , ,

On Monday, November 23, 2009, Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under the Department of Health & Human Services, announced the launch of the Health IT Buzz blog.  The blog is envisioned as a way to reach out to the healthcare IT community and public at large in order to create an open dialogue about the wishes and concerns of the many constituencies that the Office of National Coordinator serves.  The blog will address the wide range of topics impacting the “secure and seamless exchange of electronic health information” across the United States and will include discussions about the “meaningful use” rulemaking and incentives for adopting electronic health records.   We’ve added the Health IT Buzz to our blogroll.

HIT Policy Committee Workgroup Releases Second Draft of “Meaningful Use”

Kathie McDonald-McClure Electronic Health Records, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Meaningful Use , , , , , ,

On Thursday, July 16, 2009, the HIT Policy Committee presented its revised recommendation on the “meaningful use” definition. At the end of this meeting, the HIT Policy Committee forwarded its recommendation on the “meaningful use” definition to the Office of National Coordinator per the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH Act”). The revised meaningful use matrix, 2011 Draft Quality Measures and other materials presented or discussed during the MU meeting on July 16, 2009 are available on the HIT Policy Committee webpage.

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Looking for proposals for the definition of “meaningful use”?

Kathie McDonald-McClure Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Meaningful Use , , , , ,

Providers who wish to receive incentive payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and more specifically, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH Act), for the adoption and implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) must meet specific requirements, one of which is to demonstrate that the provider is making a “meaningful use” of the EHR. The HITECH Act vests authority in the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to further define “meaningful use.” HHS does not intend to come up with this definition in a vacuum and has solicited input. Such input poured in on April 28 & 29, 2009, when the HHS National Commmitee on Vital and Health Statistics held public hearings to discuss “meaningful use.”

In a HealthLeaders Media article on May 5, 2009, the author, Carrie Vaughn, prepared a summary and provided links to the several associations and industry groups who weighed in on the definition of “meaningful use.” Among the organizations who submitted proposals were CHIME, AHIMA, AMIA, ANI, HIMSS, and The Markle Foundation. Vaughn observed that the proposals seemed to agree that “meaningful use” should focus on “desired outcome, which is improving quality of care, reducing costs, and making care delivery more efficient, not the technology itself.” Another common thread among the proposals was to implement the standards using an “incremental approach” that can become more stringent with time. To read the article, click here.